Through the study of places, landscapes, and regions, geographers and spatial scientists tackle problems such as food and energy security, economic inequality, biodiversity conservation, and climate change.
Our strength is our ability to fuse insights from natural and social sciences, and to choose information and skills from a range of areas to find solutions to complex problems. At the heart of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences are some of today’s most pressing questions:
- What is the best way to measure, map and manage our planet and infrastructure as it is shaped by human action and natural processes? These are the domain of surveyors and spatial scientists.
- How does the structure of a city (compact or sprawling) and distribution of green-space (e.g. parks and gardens) shape loneliness, feelings of isolation, and poor mental health outcomes? This is a question being answered by urban geographers.
- Why are some habitats well-protected and cherished whereas the same habitat on the other side of a border – in a different country of different state – is severely environmentally degraded? This is a question being answered by biogeographers and environmental managers.